Sichuan Boiled Beef (Shuǐzhǔ Niúròu)
水煮牛肉 Shuǐzhǔ niúròuSay it: shway-JOO nyoh-ROH
Despite the name, nothing about this Sichuan classic is plain boiling. Thin slices of beef are slipped into a scarlet broth built on Pixian chili bean paste, then poured over quickly stir-fried cabbage and bean sprouts. The final flourish — a ladle of smoking oil poured over a heap of chopped garlic, dried chilies and ground Sichuan pepper — sends up a crackling, numbing aroma. The beef stays silky and tender, the broth is fiery and deeply savoury, and the tingle of Sichuan pepper lingers. It is a centrepiece dish, served with rice to share.
Sichuan Boiled Beef (Shuǐzhǔ Niúròu)
水煮牛肉, Shuǐzhǔ niúròu
Pronounced shway-JOO nyoh-ROH
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains soy, gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Beef and marinade
Broth and aromatics
Vegetables
To finish
Method
Freeze the beef for 20 minutes until firm, then slice it as thinly as you can, about 1/8 inch (3 mm), cutting across the grain. Toss the slices with the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, water and white pepper, stirring in one direction until the liquid is absorbed, and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
While the beef rests, toast the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies in a dry wok over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, until the peppercorns smell floral and the chilies darken slightly. Tip them out, let them cool, then chop them together into a coarse, oily-looking rubble and set aside for the topping.
Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the oil in the wok over high heat, add the cabbage and bean sprouts with the salt, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just wilted but still crisp at the edges. Spread the vegetables in an even layer in a deep serving bowl.
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil and the doubanjiang, and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens and the oil turns bright red. Add the ginger, half the garlic, the scallion whites and the chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Pour in the stock, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes so the flavours meld. Taste and add a little salt only if the doubanjiang has not made it salty enough.
Slide the beef slices into the broth one at a time, keeping them separate. Poach very gently for 1-2 minutes, just until the slices turn pale and firm; do not let the broth boil hard or the beef will toughen.
Ladle the beef and broth over the vegetables, then scatter the remaining garlic, the reserved chopped chili-peppercorn mixture and the scallion greens over the top in a neat mound.
Heat the 1/3 cup (80 ml) oil in a small pan until it shimmers and a wisp of smoke rises. Pour it steadily over the aromatics so they sizzle loudly, then carry the bowl to the table immediately.
Serve hot, spooning the meat, vegetables and red broth together, with plenty of plain rice to cool the heat.
Regional variant: Sichuan Boiled Pork Slices (Shuǐzhǔ Ròupiàn)
Replace the beef with 1 lb (450 g) pork loin or tenderloin sliced 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and marinate it with 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp Shaoxing wine instead of the soy-heavy beef marinade. Poach the pork slices for 2-3 minutes, until no pink remains, then finish identically. The broth is often made with a little less stock so the pork sits in a thicker sauce.
Cook's notes
- Slicing the beef while it is still partly frozen is the easiest way to get paper-thin, tender slices.
- Watch the poaching time closely: one to two minutes is enough, and the residual heat of the broth keeps cooking the beef after it leaves the wok.
- Use the full amount of oil for the final pour — it must be genuinely hot so it blooms the garlic and chili rather than just soaking them.
Serve with
Steamed white rice, a plain cucumber salad and cold beer or jasmine tea.
Make ahead and storage
The topping mix and sliced vegetables can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated; cook the dish just before serving, as the beef toughens on reheating.
